


Gather No Moss

by pirl



Series: Stones Keep Rolling [2]
Category: As the World Turns
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-04
Updated: 2012-09-04
Packaged: 2017-11-13 12:46:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/503684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pirl/pseuds/pirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>AU based on canon</i> -- This takes place in the <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/253819">Stones Keep Rolling</a> universe, so you'll need to read that before any of this will make sense. I fell in love with this universe and started writing a sequel almost immediately after posting last year, and here it is. This story picks up immediately after the end of <i> Stones Keep Rolling</i>. Luke is invited to Detroit to see what Noah has been doing with his life the 8 years that they've been apart. But when Noah's handsome and charming ex unexpectedly shows up, Luke is as unsure about their future together as ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gather No Moss

That night Noah stayed at the farmhouse. 

They slept in separate bedrooms, but only after they sat up in the parlor until 4 am talking and touching and just reveling in each other's presence. In the morning, soft murmurs and the clinking of plates roused Noah from the downstairs bedroom. Rubbing the sleep from his weary eyes and after a pit stop into the bathroom, he entered the kitchen and felt like he was still dreaming. 

There stood Natalie, tall and mature, leaning against the counter and softly talking to Luke, who was placing bread into the toaster. Noah stood in the doorway, just taking in the sight and feeling his breath catch in his throat just a little.

"Is there any coffee left?" Noah asked, ending his silent vigil.

Natalie turned and smiled knowingly. "Yep." She gestured toward the coffee maker on the counter. Noah mused with a tinge of sadness about the old coffee pot that Emma would keep warmed on the stovetop, and the Ball jars filled with paraffin-topped homemade jams he would fetch for out of the cellar for her some mornings. 

"Hungry? I was going to make some fried egg sandwiches," Luke offered. The hair at the back of his head stuck up in weird angles from moving around too much in his sleep, and his shirt was on inside-out. Noah thought he looked beautiful.

"Since when can you cook?" Noah teased.

Luke scoffed at this. "Ask Nat. I've gotten pretty great at it!"

"Good. I'll give you good," said Natalie. 

Luke raised his eyebrows. A friendly look of irritation crossed his face. "And you'll be eating what for breakfast?"

"Fine! You're great. Now make mine over easy, I have to go make a phone call." And she made her way to the parlor, but not before giving Noah a wink. 

"It's so crazy to see her so—"

"Annoying?" Luke offered with a grin.

Noah approached the counter and softly bumped his hip with Luke's, careful not to jostle him too much as he cracked eggs into the frying pan. "I was going to say grown-up."

"Sure you were," Luke teased.

Noah watched in wonder as Luke managed to fry eggs and toast bread without burning anything. They sat at the table and swapped favorite stories of the farmhouse kitchen as they ate. Noah gave in that Luke had turned into a decent cook and added that he couldn't wait to taste his other "culinary masterpieces."

"Hey, I've had a lot of time on my hands lately. It's amazing what boredom will do to people." It was meant as a joke but Noah read between the lines pretty easily.

Just then Noah's phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and read the message from Brett Kosta, his business partner, when an idea bloomed.

"So… I'm supposed to be driving to Detroit to pick up some equipment and stuff to take back to Chicago. I was wondering," Noah paused, feeling as shy as if he were asking Luke out on a first date, "would you want to come with me. I'd like you to see, I don't know, what I've been doing the past few years. Introduce you to my friends there, especially Brett." He couldn't help but sound a little excited. He was proud of what he'd built and wanted to show it off to Luke as well as include him in on that part of his life. 

"It'd just be a couple of days. I mean, I don't want to take you away if you've got responsibilities here." He waved generically around the kitchen as his eyes landed on vase full of flowers, obviously professionally arranged. How could he ask Luke to come to Detroit with him? He'd just buried his mother. "Never mind. Forget I asked. I wouldn't want you to neglect your family, which is exactly what I'm asking you to do. I'm sorry, it was thoughtless of me to ask. I'll just come back when I'm done-"

"Okay."

Noah stopped. "What?"

"Okay. I'll come." Luke was smiling softly.

"No Luke, your family..."Noah pleaded.

"There's nothing else to do. Natalie is leaving tomorrow, dad has Ethan, and Faith won't talk to me." He pulled a sad smirk when mentioning his sister. "I'm not ready to have that conversation with her. It can wait until we're not so… raw." 

Noah looked cautious. "You're sure?"

"Absolutely," Luke replied with a large grin. Noah almost leapt up from the table to wrap him in a tight and contented hug.

~~~~~

Luke squared things away with Holden and his grandmothers, all of whom could barely contain their elation at the recent turn of events. Lucinda even had the nerve to look smug, which annoyed Luke as much as it endeared her to him.

With his small duffel tucked in next to Noah's luggage in the back of the SUV, the two of them set off. The conversation was light and neutral. What roads would help them avoid Chicago traffic? What celebrities did you see in LA? Where were you when the Cubs won the World Series? How many times did you see the second _Avengers_ movie? Somewhere around southwest Michigan the conversation started to get more personal.

"So… why did you go to Europe?" Noah asked. There was a long pause as Luke stayed silent. "I'm sorry if it's hard for you, but I want to be able to talk to you… about everything." Noah grabbed Luke's hand in his own. 

Luke waited a few seconds more before he spoke. "I didn't know anyone, so I thought that I could hide and that way I couldn't get hurt." He felt Noah's hand squeeze his in support. "I did a lot of sightseeing, kinda trying to keep myself busy so I wouldn't have time to think too much. I was in Munich when there was this massive rainstorm that washed out streets and basically kept me in my hotel room for days. The night before I was supposed to leave I was a mess. Something about being stuck there started to make me feel claustrophobic. Manic. I was feeling so isolated and alone sitting in my room with my brain on a crushing loop of shoulda-woulda-coulda, so I went downstairs to the hotel's café bar where I ran into a bunch of other stranded guests. They were all having such a good time, literally and figuratively drowning their sorrows with alcohol while standing in about three inches of water that had yet to drain from the building. When they invited me over I used it as an excuse to have a drink, just one, because I so badly wanted to connect with someone, anyone that night and forget that I had all these… issues."

"So one drink led to several and I felt better that I had in months. The next morning I woke up on a couch in the lobby having no memory of what had happened the night before, and it made me so damn happy that I didn't stop. I have a camera full of pictures and people from all over Europe and I can only recall a fraction of them. The next thing I know my mom and grandmother are there, dragging me into rehab. Did you know Lucinda threatened to plant drugs on me so I'd be thrown in jail?"

"You're not serious."

Luke nodded. "She… I let her down. Again. It was an ultimatum: either I sober up or she's out of my life for good. That's what did it for me. I'd only driven one person out of my life at that point," Luke squeezed Noah's hand, "and I couldn't bear to do it again. It worked and I'll always be grateful, but after rehab I wasn't ready to return to Oakdale, so I reached out to Damian. And, well, you heard the rest."

"I'm so sorry, Luke."

"You didn't pour the drink down my throat."

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing. I dug the hole myself by trying to ignore everything. That doesn't solve anything. I needed to acknowledge the shit that had happened and _deal_ with it, not get wasted and fucking--" Luke stopped abruptly, his voice and agitation ratcheting up the more he spoke. Noah was patient, waiting for Luke to calm himself with deep breaths while gripping his hand tighter. 

After a few seconds had passed he spoke again. "Sorry. I still get pretty pissed once in a while."

"You don't have to apologize for anything," Noah reassured.

Luke asked quietly, "What about how I never came to LA, or even tried to call you?" He didn't want to fully admit how much that decision had haunted him for the past eight years.

"It hurt, I won't deny that. But you're talking to the guy who practically went underground to avoid his 'issues' too."

Luke snorted. "Jesus, what a pair we are."

Noah just brought their hands to his lips and kissed Luke's knuckles. 

~~~~~

They pulled up to an old brick building in a block full of similar structures, all looking to be in various states of repair or disrepair. They entered the front door, which brought them into a large foyer—one wall was banked with mailboxes while the other had a bulletin board covered in For Sale notices and flyers about medical marijuana. Noah unlocked a small door on the other side of the foyer and beckoned Luke to follow him. He heard animated voices coming from somewhere down a long hallway, but Noah steered him into a small office empty of people. 

As Noah switched on the lights Luke knew exactly who the office belonged to. Vintage looking posters of movies Luke had never heard of graced the wall above a desk that could only be described as "military neat." Nothing was out of place, save for the stack of large boxes in the middle of the floor that made it hard to move around. 

"Brett keeps threatening to give my office away but-" Noah just shrugged, not finishing his statement. He examined the labels on the boxes, opening the top one and pulling some expensive-looking plastic thingy from the Styrofoam peanuts. "This must be the stuff I need to take to Chicago."

Luke wasn't paying attention though. His interest was caught by the snapshots pinned to a bulletin board next to the desk. Most of the photos had people he didn't recognize, but Noah was in a few, looking happy if not a bit dorky. In one he was with a group of people, all of them dressed up as zombie versions of Harry Potter characters, which made him chuckle until he saw how closely the Slytherin guy was holding Noah. Even with the make-up he recognized the face as belonging to Noah's ex-boyfriend, Javier. Naturally he started to scan the other pictures for his presence when he spied the corner of a familiar image. He unpinned it, unearthing it from the scraps of paper and other photos that were covering it. The photo was from a summer picnic at the Snyder farm. It was him and Noah, sun burnt and happy.

"I always liked how your lips looked in that picture," Noah shyly confessed, looking over Luke's shoulder. He snaked his arms around Luke's waist, pulling him close. "Devious. Sneaky," he teased Luke, shaking him in his arms a little, "and impossibly kissable." He leaned in as Luke tilted his head back. The kiss was anything but chaste. Noah was practically devouring Luke and he welcomed it willingly. But before they could get too far the sound of a woman very pointedly clearing her throat broke them apart.

"As much as I would love to stay here and watch, you forget that the nookie room is upstairs." She stood in the doorway looking greatly amused as she held out her hand to Luke, who received a hefty handshake. "Hi! Brett Kosta, Noah's pain in the ass."

She was stunning. Big, blonde supermodel hair half-pulled back into a clip, pale flawless skin, and a low cut shirt showing off more of her ample assets than what Luke was comfortable looking at. Her tight, cropped jeans accentuated her long legs and on her feet she wore a pair of the scariest looking stilettos Luke had ever seen. She walked over to Noah and hugged him, the two of them sharing an exchange about the boxes in the room while they kept her arms loose around each other. She was eye-to-eye with Noah and it was a dazzling thing to look at the two of them together. If Luke wasn't absolutely sure that Noah was gay, he'd be very intimidated. Who was he kidding? She intimidated the hell out of him. 

"I've got five kids coming to interview on Tuesday." Brett was talking to Noah, having released him finally and propped herself on the desk. "Are you going to be here or do I have to deal with Derrick's pansy ass all day by myself?"

Noah laughed. "When are the two of you going to admit to yourselves that you need to screw each other's brains out and put to rest this ridiculous bull you have against one another?"

Brett leveled her eyes at Luke. "Your Noah is one sick fuck." Luke laughed a little, slightly confused but his chest still warmed thinking about "his Noah." Brett turned to Noah with her finger pointing in accusation. "You need some serious fucking help, Mayer." To which Noah just laughed. "It's not my fault that Derrick is a wuss and can't say no to these U of M dweebs who want to be the cheese in a Kubrick-Cronenberg sandwich."

Noah explained to Luke. "Derrick is one of our co-producers and he has a heart, so he wants to give everyone who applies for an internship a chance. Brett on the other hand has no heart and thinks that anyone from the University of Michigan is a waste of skin."

"They are! All east-coast snooty types without a drop of ingenuity or fucking free thought under their artfully UN-sculpted, overpriced haircuts."

"Yeah, but with daddy's line of credit in their back pocket."

Brett waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever. Give me a broke-ass kid from Yipsi any day."

"Sweet, isn't she?" Noah asked. Brett responded with waving him the middle finger. "I'm going to give Luke a tour."

Brett held out a hand again for Luke to shake. "Wonderful to finally meet you Luke. A few of us are going to Corktown later. You both should come. You can meet the damned of Detroit!"

Luke looked to Noah for guidance but got a shrug and an apologetic look in return. "I, uh… we'll see, I guess." Noah slipped his hand around Luke's waist and guided him out of the room but not before Brett shouted after them.

"Don't forget to put a sock on the doorknob!"

Noah laughed and shook his head, looking slightly mortified. "She's not kidding, is she?" Luke asked.

"Not entirely. And Luke, don't worry, we don't have to go to the bar."

Luke turned around and pinned Noah with his eyes. "I'm going to say this once so it will never be an issue again. I'm absolutely fine going out to a bar. It's not tempting, not in the least. If that were the case I'd be just as tempted by stepping into a Red Lobster or 7-11." He reached out and smoothed his hand over Noah's hair. "But thank you for being concerned, it means a lot to me that you care."

"Always."

"So," Luke spun around, "tour me!"

Noah led him up and down wooden, creaky stairwells and through brick-walled hallways lined with rooms set up to look like bedrooms, kitchens, school rooms, etc. Noah explained that they're used as sets and that the entire top two floors of the building were set aside for that purpose. On the lower stories were equipment rooms lined with shelves containing a number of black cases, lights on tripods, and other very technical looking equipment. Another room housed an array of computers and monitors all used for mixing and editing the films. The last room they entered was unexpected. Luke was now standing on the floor of a massive room painted entirely black. His eyes swept up, taking in the mosaic of windows that soared up to the ceiling about two stories above them. Sunlight played through the ones that weren't replaced by plywood and heavy looking black curtains framed the edges. On one side of the room sat a free-standing wooden stage with rows of fold-up chairs scattered in front. On either side of the stage sat a mish-mash of furniture, giving the place the look of a strange rummage sale. 

"Wow." Was all Luke could utter.

"This is where we share the space with a local theater group. It's kind of a nice trade-off. We rent them the space cheap for their shows and they let us use their props and wardrobe for our movies. Brett's cousin's husband, I think I got that right, anyway, he's one of the founders of the theater group." 

"Brett sure is something else," Luke stated. 

"I wasn't entirely kidding when I said I met her in the bathroom of a gay bar." 

Luke sat down in one of the folding chairs, motioning for Noah to do the same as well to elaborate.

"I was out one night with a couple friends and I wasn't doing so well. It was the first time I'd been in a club since starting therapy and I thought I could handle it, but I kept remembering all the times before when I'd gone out and been pretty self-destructive. I ended up in the girl's bathroom, figuring it'd be empty, so I could hide out for a while. But there Brett was, hand halfway down her shirt adjusting her bra or whatever." Noah chuckled softly at the memory. "She snapped at me, gave me shit about chasing tricks into her bathroom or something, but then she quickly figured out that I was upset and let me stay."

"Something about her fit, you know? We talked about relationships and movies and how we both hated LA. Her friends finally came looking for her because we were in the bathroom for so long. A couple days later she called me up and we started hanging out. Pretty soon she's coming up with this harebrained idea to pull up stakes and move to Michigan." He waved a hand around, motioning to the building in which they currently stood. "She's pretty persuasive, obviously."

 

~~~~~

Noah came back from the bar with light beers for himself and Derrick, a double shot of Jack on the rocks for Brett, and a soda with lemon for Luke. The place was a total dive, right down to the fake wood paneling and Stroh's sign behind the bar that had been yellowed by nicotine over the years. The walls were littered with black and white pictures in cheap frames of old, bar-sponsored sports teams, antiquated street vistas and working factories. The only sign that they weren't stuck fifty-plus years in the past was the CD jukebox hanging on the wall currently playing a Foo Fighters song.

"So how's Robbie?" Noah voice brought Luke's attention back to the table.

Brett's answer to his question was dramatic as she dropped her head to the table with an impressive thud. She mimicked a heaving sob while moaning loudly, "I miss my husband!" Derrick just rolled his eyes and sipped his beer, apparently having witnessed such outbursts before.

"Where is he?" Noah asked.

As she brought her head up, a comically large frown pulled down the corners of her mouth. "Houston. A week, Noah. A whole week! His job is stressing me the hell out!" She took a hearty gulp of her drink, her face scrunching up as she winced at the taste. "But his flight comes in tomorrow morning, so I'm taking the day off." A grin quickly replaced the frown and she winked at Luke. He didn't know what to say so he just lifted his glass and tipped it toward her in as a toast.

"What about the benefit?" Derrick asked. "You can't skip out on that."

"Hold your balls there, Der. I'll be at the benefit, I'm just not coming into the office. Besides, Aleesha's got everything under control so it's a moot point. I'm just there to plug our name and tease the masses with my beautiful bod." She gave her chest a shake for emphasis. 

Luke kept his eyes from drifting downward and asked, "Benefit?"

Noah answered, "For the past couple years we've put on a charity concert to raise money for the more pro bono aspects of the company, like donating cameras to local high schools, etc." Noah looked to Brett. "That's tomorrow? I totally forgot!" 

"And that's why you're not in charge anymore," Brett teased. "So how's Chicago? Do you want to kill ol' Greg yet?"

"Again, I'm telling you he's working out just fine. Honestly, I think it was you he couldn't work with. Not that I can blame the guy. You _are_ a total bitch," Noah teased back.

Brett responded with a wink. "Takes one to know one."

"Anyway, the office is coming along as scheduled. But I'll have to talk to you later about perhaps extending our reach." Noah gave Luke a knowing look. "It's a long story but you'll like it, I'm sure."

But Brett wasn't paying attention. Instead she threw her glass down on the table, shot up from her stool and made a beeline toward the door. The guy who had just walked in was nearly tackled to the ground by her and looked to hold on for dear life when Brett's death-grip was paired with a wet, molar-exploring kiss. 

"Uh… whoa," Luke said. "I hope she knows that guy."

Noah winked at Luke. "That would be her nookie-room partner." Luke gave him slightly stunned look. He liked this slightly scurrilous version of Noah.

When Brett was done with her oral exam she brought the guy over to the table. His looks reminded Luke of a young Seth Rogan. "Hi, I'm Robbie." He greeted Luke with a handshake and a wry, slightly embarrassed smile. 

"Luke. Nice to meet you." 

Brett was unhooking her purse from the back of her barstool. "'Scuse me, but I need to take my husband home. Now!" She grabbed hold of the front of his shirt and play-tugged him toward the door. Robbie just shrugged his shoulders, threw a wink at the table and was swept out the door by a whirlwind of a woman. Luke thought two things: one, he was a lucky man to have someone love him so much; and two, he probably has good health insurance. 

Smirking at his own lurid thoughts, he felt Noah's hand cover his own on the table and give it a slight squeeze. Looking up he saw the same devilish look in Noah's eyes that he imagined were reflected in his own. He laughed, a little embarrassed, and turned over his hand, lacing his fingers with Noah's. It felt good, really good. 

"Lemme guess, you two are soon to follow?" Derrick eyed their joined hands. "No problem. I'll just go find a corner to sit in and leer at all the ladies. Maybe I'll get lucky and have a drink thrown in my face." His face mockingly lit up at the prospect. 

Noah gave him a weak smile as he mentioned, "I _was_ going to ask Brett if we could stay at her place, but…"

Derrick coughed. "Yeah. Not so much anymore, huh? I'm assuming you'd like to actually sleep and not listen to live hetero-porn."

Luke nearly inhaled the ice from his glass as he forgot how to drink momentarily. 

"Is anyone at The Manor?"

"Nope. Sterling was the last to use it and she's been gone since February." 

"Manor?" Luke asked. He felt like that was all he'd been doing since he arrived—asking what were probably stupid questions so he could keep up with the conversation.

Noah smirked before answering. "Back when Brett and I first moved here we rented this house together. Lived there for quite a while, actually, and eventually we bought it. We turned it into a sort-of flophouse for the interns or film crews that come here from out of town. It's been one of the perks of the super cheap housing prices here."

Luke raised his eyebrows, impressed, until Derrick spoke. "Don't get too excited, it's a dump."

"No it isn't!" Noah balked.

"The place is more or less intact, I'll give you that. But you'd freeze your balls off in the winter."

Noah considered this and acquiesced. "True. It's no prize but it's clean and cozy enough. Well then, Derrick, we'll see you tomorrow." Noah placed his empty bottle on the table and stood, slinging his arm around Luke's shoulders as Luke did the same. Luke waved goodbye and in moments they were on the road toward the mysterious "Manor."

They pulled to a stop in front of a rather large, very old looking house on what Luke thought was a pretty desolate street. There were empty lots all over. In fact Luke could only count about six other houses on this block alone. 

Luke took in the surroundings when Noah handed him his duffel from the back of the car and explained. "I guess it used to look a lot worse, or a lot better, depending on the decade. But it's safe… mostly." He gave Luke a wink and started toward the house.

"I guess I just thought Detroit, you know, big city, full of people and noise."

"And violence."

"And violence," he conceded. "I just didn't envision wide open spaces, trees everywhere."

Noah unlocked the front door and switched on the lights, inside and out. "This is a pretty decent neighborhood where they've torn down the old houses that weren't fit to live in anymore. There are still plenty of other neighborhoods with shells of abandoned buildings filling entire city blocks. I hate to say it, but they look amazing in our movies."

Noah gave Luke the quick tour of all the necessities, namely the bathroom and the kitchen, where they found a couple bottles of water in the fridge. No sooner had Luke taken a drink did he let loose a monster of a yawn.

"Sorry, I guess the day is just catching up with me," Luke apologized.

"I'm pretty beat, too. It's probably best if we turn in." 

Luke grabbed their bags and followed Noah upstairs into one of the bedrooms. Seeing the bare mattress on the bed Noah said, "I'll go grab some blankets and stuff. I think they should be in one of the other closets."

Luke looked around the room. A queen-size mattress took up the corner under an ancient, chain-hung window. In another corner sat a simple desk with random bits of office supplies strewn across it. The walls were bare save for a large framed photograph of a retro-looking theater marquee that read, "iSoar Film Festival." 

Luke shrugged out of his jacket and went to throw it over the back of the desk chair when his foot collided with the corner of a box sticking out from under the bed. Curiosity got the better of him and he slid it out into the middle of the floor. When he peered inside he found pages and pages of photo negatives in sleeves and a stack of photographs with a very familiar face looking back at him. It was Noah, dressed in a black suit and tie, looking like sex on a stick. Luke literally gulped as his skin tingled. He thumbed through the photos, one after another of Noah in the same suit in various poses, a couple with his shirt off and looking like he'd just gotten into a fight. Luke's cock suddenly felt heavy as his mouth watered—he couldn't get over how abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous Noah was in these pictures!

Hungry to see more, he made his way through more pictures, some of Noah in a sweater looking casual, others where he was sitting outside looking like a breath of fresh air. At the bottom of the stack were a few smaller photos where he was just standing in front of a plain brown background, his jeans slung low around his hips and exposing the tops of his boxers. He looked so young and bashful as he seemed to be in the middle of taking off his shirt. In the next photo his face changed into something more serious, more lustful, and his shirt was completely off then. The following picture confused Luke. There was a person standing with his back to the camera taking up half the frame, completely blurry, but Noah still stood there in focus, looking lustful and staring at the person in front of him. As Luke turned to the next photo it was as if he had been dropped into an ice bath. The previously blurry figure was in complete focus now and was kissing the daylights out of Noah. 

Luke sucked in a breath as he looked at Noah grabbing at the other guy's t-shirt with a grip that looked like he would tear the material in two. While wanting to un-see what he'd seen, Luke's morbid curiosity got the best of him and with dread he flipped to the next photo. What greeted his eyes was as equally gut-wrenching as it was arousing. Noah's head was thrown back, his face slack with the look of pleasure, one hand clutching onto the other guy's head and the other hand snaked under his waistband onto his ass. The other guy's mouth was attached to Noah's long, exposed neck. He held one arm around Noah's waist to support him while the other was wedged between them, no doubt down the front of Noah's jeans. Luke couldn't look away, his emotions in conflict with how hot Noah looked and the bitter jealousy of betrayal. 

The creak of floorboards made his adrenaline surge and he threw the pile of photos back into the box a second before Noah walked in the room. 

"Here are some sheets and—hey, what did you find?" His tone was playful, not at all accusatory like Luke felt it should be.

"Oh, um, I uh, stubbed my toe on the box and—"

Noah threw the pile of linens on the bed and peered into the box. "Oh my God!" His face flushed a deep crimson as he did a perfunctory inspection of the photos. Luke's gut clenched, hoping he wouldn't find or remember the pictures at the bottom of the pile. 

Noah groaned in mortification. "This is so embarrassing." He said, placing the stack of photos back into the box and shoving the lid back on, much to Luke's relief. "I totally forgot about those."

Luke tried to act as normal as possible and went for the predictable tease, keeping his tone light. "You didn't tell me you were a catalog model. Got any with you in a pair of sensible chinos?"

"Shut up!" His face was even redder now. "I was helping Javi build his portfolio. He must've forgotten these were here." Noah picked up the box and placed it on the desk. "I'll put a note on it for him to take it next time he's in town. That's after I use all the tape in the world to seal it shut. I can't believe you saw those!" Noah's bashfulness was sweet, but jealousy still pinched at Luke's heart. 

Sense prevailed eventually and he took Noah into his arms, looking deep into the other man's eyes. "I think you looked hot. Really hot." He emphasized his sentiment with a slow, wet kiss. 

Noah leaned back, lips gleaming. "Really?"

Luke responded with a simple, "Uh huh," and dove in for more. They grabbed and kissed each other as Luke's traitorous brain tried not to compare how Noah clutched at him just like he had in that last photo he saw.

Breathless and smiling they parted, both feeling the nag of "cool it" in the back of their brains. Luke turned and started to put the sheets on to the bed that Noah had brought in while Noah disappeared back into the hallway, returning a moment later with a couple pillows. 

"Well, I guess it's pretty late," Noah said awkwardly.

"Yeah."

"If you need anything, I'll be right down the hall." He bent to grab his luggage and made a move to leave when Luke grabbed his wrist. Noah questioned him with a look.

"Stay," Luke pleaded quietly. Noah opened his mouth to probably voice a counter to Luke's offer, but he persisted. "I'm not asking you to have sex with me. We're not there yet, I know. All I'm asking is that you sleep next to me. With me."

Luke knew there was no way Noah could turn him down. A moment later Noah closed the door behind him and stripped down to his boxers while Luke did the same, their eyes never leaving each other. Luke climbed into bed and Noah followed, feeling him press his body against Luke's back and holding on tighter than he'd expected. Luke emitted a contented sigh, grabbing Noah's hand and holding it against his chest. 

"I forgot how good this feels," Noah said with a satisfied sigh. He rubbed his nose through the hair at the nape of Luke's neck, placing a slow, soft kiss on the skin he found there. The warmth Luke felt in his body loosened his muscles and chased away some of the aches and pains he carried with him for so long, especially the one around his heart. He visualized Noah's hand in his, radiating waves of warmth like an old illustration in a science book, traveling down his arm and through his chest, bathing his heart with positive energy. 

It was a silly thought, and it felt amazing.

~~~~~

Luke stirred awake to the sound of a heavy bag being dropped on the floor, followed closely by the lights in the room flashing on like a boorish spotlight. His eyes burned and all he could see was a tall, dark silhouette of a figure standing in the doorway of the bedroom. Fear stole his voice away and all he could utter was a confused grunt.

"Oh! Shit! Sorry!" the shadow said, hastily grabbing a large duffel bag from the floor and closing the door. Whomever it was had forgotten to turn the lights off.

Noah was up and out of bed like a flash. "Javi?" He reached the door, turned off the light for Luke's sake, and stuck his head out into the hallway. Luke was sitting up now, the jolt of fear he'd felt was joined by dread at Noah's question.

Solid footsteps came down the hall and Noah threw open the door. "Oh my God! What are you doing here?" Luke watched as long, lean and mostly naked Noah threw himself into a bear hug with Javi. Javier. Noah's ex. The other guy in the pictures. Could his life get more absurd?

"Panterito? What the hell?" Javier's voice boomed in the doorway as his well-toned arms encased Noah.

They released one another but still held each other at arm's length. "I'm just in town for a few nights. I thought you were in Costa Rica?"

"Tropical storm, so the shoot's been scrapped. I'm just stopping by on my way to New York, but I can see that this conversation can wait till morning." He flashed a thousand watt smile and a wink toward Luke. He just gave a pathetic wave back. 

"Uh, yeah. Probably best. You'll be around, right?"

"Of course. Sleep tight." He touched Noah's face and then retreated down the hall.

Noah entered the bedroom once again, shutting the door behind him and locking it this time. In the dark Luke could see him shake his head and smile before he climbed back into bed. Luke shifted so he was lying on his side, facing Noah.

"So… that was Javier." It wasn't a question. Luke's churning stomach had already confirmed his suspicions.

"Yeah. Wow. Did not expect to see him. Sorry about that, I had no idea he'd be barging in at," Noah twisted around to glance at the bedside clock, "four in the morning."

Of course not. 

~~~~~

Luke stirred awake to find himself alone in bed. His bladder woke up as well, so he quickly threw his clothes back on from yesterday and headed downstairs to the bathroom. When he was finished he wasn't sure where to go until he heard laughter coming from the kitchen, one of those laughs was distinctly Noah's. When Luke rounded the corner at the end of the hall he saw Noah looking sleep-rumpled and beautiful in his sweats and t-shirt, leaning against the kitchen counter _talking to Javier._ Javier, it seems, left his modesty somewhere else and was only wearing the thinnest, lowest-slung sleep pants that left very little to the imagination. Feeling territorial, Luke made a beeline to Noah and stuck to his side like Velcro. Aside from Javier's eyes looking Luke up and down, he was not otherwise distracted enough to suspend the conversation already in progress. 

"Come on, you have to have lunch with me! Mama will hunt you down if she knew you were in town and didn't go see her. Next to Ricky Martin you're her favorite faggot."

Luke was taken aback a bit by the crude language but Noah didn't even seem to notice. "And risk her NOT stuffing me with her amazing food? Are you kidding me?" They both laughed while Luke just awkwardly smiled. "I'm taking Luke on a tour of the city, so we can meet you there for lunch."

"Excellent." Javier leaned forward then, offering his hand to Luke. "I'm Javier by the way."

"Luke." His handshake was very firm, leaving Luke to wonder if he was trying to intimidate him or if he was just so fit that he had no idea how strong he really was.

"Yeah, kinda figured. So you're the guy my panterito left me heartbroken and alone for, huh?"

"Javi!"

He threw up his hands in surrender. "Sorry man, I had to!" He laughed and slugged Luke in the shoulder. "I'm just being an asshole. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Luke added.

"Noah told me about your mom. I, uh, I'm really sorry to hear about your loss. It's never easy to lose someone so important in our lives." Luke was taken aback by his words and the seemingly genuine look on his face. Luke didn't know what to say and just nodded his gratitude. "Did you want some coffee? There's cream and sugar in the cupboard here." Javier turned around and reached into the cabinet, fetching a couple containers. Luke almost verbally groaned in agony as Javier's ass was now gratuitously, almost pornographically, on display. 

"You've got to be kidding me." Luke groused in his own head. Once the sculpted ass of his boyfriend's ex turned around again he gladly took the cream and sugar and made himself a cup, if only to focus his eyes somewhere else other than the hard chest, perfect arms and thousand watt smile of _Javier._

"Well, I've got to be off. I'll see you around noon then?" Javier asked.

"Sounds good." Luke heard the sounds behind him of two people hugging. It made his teeth grind. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder next. 

"Nice meeting you Luke, I'll see you later."

"Alright." Was all Luke could manage.

A moment later Noah was behind him, rubbing his hand along his back as he perched his chin on Luke's shoulder. "I'm glad you got to meet him, but I'm sorry how it happened."

Luke responded with deflection. "Considering what my initial thought was when he came in the room last night, I'm really glad he isn't a serial killer." He turned and looked at Noah, giving him an impish grin over the rim of his coffee mug. 

Noah smiled. "I'll give you that." 

Luke took a sip of his coffee and chastised his curiosity for wanting to ask his next question. Did he really want to know the answer? "So… panterito?"

Noah groaned and rubbed at his face. "Yeah. It means 'little panther.' He, uh, started calling me that after we started dating." Noah's face was blushing red as he shrugged. Luke decided he knew enough and willed his brain to stop going down a path he didn't want to follow. "So!" Noah barked, apparently wanting to change the subject of conversation as well, "I'll hop in the shower, you enjoy your coffee. There should be a bunch of books and such in the living room. I won't take long." And with that, Noah left. Luke was about to start pounding his head against the cabinets when Noah zipped back in and took Luke's face in his hands.

"I almost forgot," he softly pressed his lips against Luke's, leaning in to him as Luke opened his mouth and welcomed his gentle licks. He pulled away slightly, breathing in deep, "Good morning," he hummed before leaning in for another kiss. Luke drank him in, the taste of Noah mingling on his tongue with the coffee zapped his brain awake better than any amount of caffeine ever could. Noah broke the kiss before they got too far and hugged him tight, whispering in his ear, "I'm so glad you're here."

Luke just hugged him back. Noah walked out of the kitchen again but this time Luke felt a thousand times better about it.

~~~~~

La Playa was a tiny yet cozy place just outside of Detroit's Mexicantown neighborhood. Spicy aromas filled Luke's nose as they pulled open the door. Along one wall was a mural of a tropical shoreline full of palm trees and colorful birds perched on their branches. Most of the tables were taken with the clientele ranging from business suits to stained coveralls. Each table had small colorful vases decorated with skulls and glitter on them, each holding a single daisy. A telenovela played on a television hung on the far wall and underneath the TV on a small shelf sat a picture of a man in an army uniform. A rosary was draped over the corner of the frame and two small candles in ruby red jars sat flickering next to it. The man resembled an older version of Javier with a faint mustache. 

"That's my papi." Javier said, noticing Luke's interest in the photograph. "He was killed in Iraq back when I was a kid." Luke nodded, not knowing what to say but immediately understanding Javier's actions in the kitchen that morning much more clearly. "He was handsome, huh? Mi abuela said he literally swept my mama off her feet. Took her out dancing and she was a goner. The guy had serious moves!" Javier accentuated this by shaking his own hips back and forth. 

"Javier Luis Leon! You get your butt over here and hug your mother!" A small, curvy woman with long salt and pepper hair swept up into a clip stood in the doorway leading to the rear of the restaurant. 

"Noah! Oh my boy, you come here too!" Noah dutifully went over and was enveloped in what looked like a lung-squeezing hug, quickly followed by a sharp smack to his shoulder. "You haven’t called in weeks! You know how worried I get!" She hit him again.

"Ow, hey!" He laughed while trying to deflect her away. "I'm sorry Peggy, I promise I won't do it again."

"Ugh!" She grabbed Noah's face in her hands and slightly shook his head. "How can I get mad at that face?"

Javier leaned over to whisper loudly to Luke. "I could buy her a diamond ring every day, but all he has to do is twinkle those baby blues at her and all of a sudden I'm chopped liver."

"Oh Javier, I only love you because I'm supposed to." She threw a snarky look toward her son who stuck his tongue out at her. Her eyes then drifted to Luke. "And who is his handsome man?"

Noah did the introductions. "Peggy, this is Luke. Luke, Javi's mom, Mrs. Medina." Peggy's eyes lit up with recognition when she heard his name. 

She looked toward Noah. "Luke Snyder?" With a nod from Noah she reached out and pulled him into hug which Luke was able to confirm from firsthand experience was indeed lung crushing. "Fantastic to meet you!" 

Javier grumbled. "Great. Now I'm third string."

Peggy released Luke and attacked Javier. "Oh, is your mama ignoring her baby?" She stood on her tiptoes and pulled her son down into a loose headlock. "Are you feeling unloved? Pobrecito!" She then assaulted him with loud smacking kisses all over the top of his head.

"Okay! Okay! Jesus mama! You're going to make me gayer!" They were all laughing loudly by now, making Luke wonder if the customers sometimes come in hopes for the impromptu floor show.

"Let me guess, my deadbeat son is coming through town and expects a home cooked meal."

"That's about it." He shrugged apologetically. 

"You boys have a seat and I'll have Manny cook you something yummy."

Noah and Luke took an empty table by the mural while Javier ducked back into the kitchen to grab them all drinks and chips.

"She seems like a really nice lady," Luke offered.

Noah smiled warmly."Peggy's the best. Sometimes I swear she worries more about me than she does Javi. I'm just glad she still likes me after we split up."

Javier came back with horchadas, Cokes and a basket of chips and salsa. "So, Luke. You've met Brett I take it. What's the verdict?"

"Um… huh?"

"I think she's a drag queen 'cuz there's no way she can be that hot **and** butch at the same time," Javier quipped.

Noah shook his head. "If you say that to her face one more time she's going to slice you up in little pieces."

Javier scooped up a pile of salsa on his chip and popped the whole thing in his mouth. "See! Mah poin' ezzacly!" 

Luke couldn't help but chuckle before he added, "I only met her briefly."

"And?"

"She… kinda scared the crap out of me," he confessed. 

Javier did a victory fist pump while Noah just gaped. "Seriously?"

Luke shrugged. "She's kind of frightening, Noah."

"Seriously?"

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means," Javier aped.

Noah leveled his gaze at Javier and deadpanned, "Seriously." To which they all started laughing in earnest.

Their food came in no time and although Luke was hesitant at first, unfamiliar with the dishes in front of him, a couple bites in and he couldn't get enough. They passed the time talking amiably and Luke, against his will, started to really like Javier. He was funny, gracious and full of amazing stories. Noah's hand on his thigh didn't hurt to ease his anxieties either.

A moment later Javier was fishing a ringing phone from his pocket. "Excuse me guys, I really need to take this." Javier stood and walked toward the back hallway.

"And I think three horchadas are my limit. I'll be right back." Luke excused himself from the table and walked down the same hallway toward the bathrooms. 

Finished with his business he opened the door to go back to the table when he heard Javier's voice, sounding loud and agitated. His nosiness got the better of him as he soon found Javier standing in an open doorway in the rear of the restaurant still talking on his cell phone. Luke kept out of eyesight as he listened in.

"I don't know what to do! I just saw him. Yeah, he's with this other guy now. I can't believe he left me for him. I mean I thought we had something, we were so good together!" Luke stood stock still, too stunned to move as he listened further. "I'm determined to get him back no matter what it takes. I'll show him I was the best thing that ever happened to him. At the very worst I'll get what I need out of him and then he can do whatever the fuck he wants."

The blood in Luke's veins turned to ice. "He's talking about Noah! I can't believe it!" Luke's mind was racing. All the smiles and gracious gestures, it was all a lie! The photos he found and how he barged in the bedroom, Luke thought he _had_ to have seen Noah's car out front. And all that flirting in the kitchen with his bare chest and… and God! How did Luke not see this coming? Javier was here to steal Noah back, to weasel his way back into his life and scoop him up like some sort of prize! And that last thing he said, about getting what he needed out of Noah, made Luke's stomach turn. No one deserved to be treated like that, especially Noah. 

Luke turned on his heel and headed straight back to Noah. He kept his face neutral, not letting on that he heard or knew anything. 

"You alright?" Noah asked.

"Hmm?"

"You were gone a while. Is the food not agreeing with you?"

Luke shook his head. "Oh! No. Just, uh, checking my messages. Didn't want to be rude 'n all at the table."

"Who's rude?" Javier asked, returning as well.

"No one, apparently," Noah offered.

Javier nodded absentmindedly. "Look, I've got stuff happening," he motioned to the phone in his hand, "do you mind if I bail?"

"No," Luke said a little too enthusiastically. "Don't let us hold you back. We'll be fine." He gave Javier a toothy grin. 

"You'll still be at the concert tonight, right?" Noah asked, to which he said he would. Luke watched as Javier squeezed Noah's shoulder before he waved goodbye to his mother and left. Luke raged inside, thinking of how much a dirty, double-crossing douche Javier was when Noah placed his hand on his and stilled the inner tempest. 

"Have you had enough?" Noah asked, referring to the food.

"Yep, I've had enough." Luke answered, referring to the ex.

~~~~~

Brett took to the stage like a fish to water. "Thank you for coming out tonight and supporting a great cause. Your donations make it so that we at iSoar Productions can help a new generation of creative people find their voice and let it be heard. My partner in crime, Noah Mayer—wave sweetie," Noah groaned in embarrassment when Brett pointed at him from the stage and the spotlight found him. He gave a quick wave from where he and Luke stood in the crowd and the audience gave him a short round of applause. Luke beamed with pride as Brett continued. 

"Together we started this crazy company five years ago on a wing, a prayer, and a lot of Jack Daniels." The audience laughed. "It's because of your donations that we can be a place for filmmakers who are just starting to get the help and guidance they need. By parting with a few bucks, you have made it possible for many films to get made such as _Detroit I Love You, Now Change_ , _My Lady Yonkovitch_ and the popular _Zombie Slaughter_ series." A respectful cheer went up for each title, with the last movie getting the lion's share of wolf whistles and appreciative shouts.

"We've got some great raffle items in the lobby," Brett continued, "including two VIP tickets for the iSoar Film Festival, which will culminate with the premiere of _Zombie Slaughter 4: Freud's Daughter._ " The audience erupted with excited cheers once more. "So buy a ton of raffle tickets, tip the bartenders, kiss your sweetie and have a great fucking—oops sorry—have a great freakin' evening!" Laughs and cheers filled the room. "And now what you've all been waiting for, let's hear it for The Operatives!"

A thunder of cheers reverberated through the room as the band took to the stage. They were good, Luke thought. They played covers of popular songs from the past few years but really changed them up with their own sound. Previous pop tunes were mellowed out and melodic, while slower songs were amped up with dance-trance beats. The result was definitely fun and Luke found himself enjoying the show even more when he and Noah soon turned it into game of "Name That Tune."

The band started the next song with a fast electronic beat, getting the crowd dancing and jumping. The guitar came in after a while with a simple riff that definitely sounded familiar, but Luke couldn't place it. But when the lead singer started singing he stilled, goosebumps creeping across his skin. He whipped around toward Noah, face alight with a lopsided grin, mouth slightly open in disbelief. He caught Luke's eye and laughed.

"Did you do this?" Luke shouted over the music, pointing toward the stage.

"No! I swear to God!" They stared at each other for a moment longer, stupid grins on their faces. Noah reached out, turning Luke around and pressed up against his back in a tight embrace. Luke's eyes fluttered close as Noah slowly swayed them back and forth. 

_I see your true colors, shining through.  
I see your true colors, that's why I love you…_

Luke knows they must look ridiculous in the sea of flailing, sweaty concert-goers, but he didn’t care one bit. He was surrounded by Noah, their song was playing, and they were together again. Luke leaned back further, the edge of his ear scratching along Noah' five o'clock shadow as he turned his face to place a quick, warm kiss against the side of Noah's lips. His heart pounded to the beat of the song as lights dazzled under his eyelids. 

_And no sign of Javier._ Luke crowed.

Later on they traded the raucous concert floor for the somewhat muted din of the lobby. Luke's ears rung and felt like they were stuffed with cotton, which still made hearing a little difficult, but at least they didn't have to shout to be heard anymore. They bought a handful of raffle tickets and meandered through the auction items, occasionally dropping in a ticket or two into the buckets in front of each item when Noah stopped short.

"Oh my God, I'm going to kill him." His tone was joking yet sincere, because there on display was Noah's face in beautiful sepia tones with a placard offering a session of portrait photography by the "Internationally Renowned Photographer" Javier Medina. His photo wasn't the only one on display, Luke recognized Brett's face as well. It curled his teeth to say it, but Javier did take some beautiful pictures.

"You look good. Amazing, even," Luke offered.

Noah reluctantly consented. "Thanks, but I just wish he'd warn me, you know?" Luke nudged Noah's shoulder with his cheek, silently wishing Javier would just leave the country. 

"I'm going to grab a soda, want one?" Luke asked. Noah nodded and Luke made his way through to the opposite side of the lobby toward the concession area. As he waited in line he looked around, marveling at the architecture of the concert hall and mused about how many musicians must have played here over its many years. He then thought about Noah talking about old movie houses, the 1920's and Mayan architecture, and how excited he'd get thinking about their heydays. A warm feeling bloomed in him thinking about Noah, but when turned around to look back at the object of his affection he felt like a bucket of cold water was thrown on him.

Javier was here.

Not only was he here, but he was all over Noah. He was leaning in close, way too close, his lips just millimeters away from Noah's ear as he whispered something. His hands rubbed up and down Noah's arms as Noah laughed in reaction to what being said to him. It was like Luke was a deer in the headlights, he couldn't move or react. That was until Javier turned his head and placed his lips on Noah's cheek. 

That was it. Before he could even comprehend what he was doing, Luke flew back across the lobby, cocked back his fist and landed a solid, knuckle-snapping punch on Javier's jaw. The satisfaction of watching Javier fumble backward, arms wind-milling as he tried desperately to stay upright overshadowed the sharp throb he felt in his own fist. His heart leapt for victory in his chest, but when he turned to Noah that leap of victory fell flat on its face. Noah's face read only shock, horror and worst of all, disappointment. 

Noah seized Luke's arm, his fingers digging in sharply as he pulled him outside. He didn't stop dragging Luke until they rounded the corner of the building and found themselves in an alley.

"Luke! What the hell are you doing?!" Noah exploded. Javier came around the corner, having followed them outside. Seeing his face enraged Luke.

"He's a liar, Noah! He's been faking it the whole time, pretending not to care about us and trying to be my friend!" 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Javier shouted, still noticeably stunned from Luke's sudden violence. 

"All this time he's been trying to—to steal you back!" Luke jabbed an accusing finger at Javier. "I heard him talking on the phone! He said he was going to get you back whatever it took, show you he was the best thing that ever happened to you."

"What!? I never… oh hell..." His eyes looked skyward as his head tilted back, his mouth gaped open in bewilderment. 

Noah looked taken aback. "Javi? I-is that true?"

Javier shook his head as he answered quietly and calmly, "He must've overheard me talking to Nathan about Kye." 

"Kye? Who's Kye?" Luke demanded.

"Kye Phang. He's a model that I've been working with for forever, since my start. He pulled some shit recently and left me high and dry so he could go work with another photographer." Noah nodded his head in recognition, apparently aware of the history between Javier and Kye . "I was pissed, still am! You heard me talking about how I was going to get _him_ back, about how good _we_ work together." Javier paused, letting his explanation sink in before he put the final nail in the coffin. "By the way, Nathan is my fiancé." 

Luke groaned, "Oh my God."

Javier reached up to gingerly touch the corner of his mouth, checking his fingers for blood. "Luke, I'm not trying to steal Noah or get back with him. Trust me, he wouldn't have me even if I tried." He threw Noah a hangdog look. "And I wouldn’t try because I know he doesn't love me like he loves you." Noah hung his head apologetically, avoiding Javier's gaze. "So can we please kiss, make up, blow each other—well, not me of course, unless you're into threesomes—and forget about all this? Hmm? There's still a chance for some of us to have fun tonight."

Noah looked at Luke, who felt like he was two seconds from losing it. Luke felt like a cornered animal a split second from deciding if it should fight or take flight. 

"Go on Javi, we'll catch up," said Noah.

Javier's eyes darted between the two of them, and seemed to understand that there was more to be said between the two which he didn't need to be a witness to.

"Yeah. Text if you need anything," Javier said.

As soon as Javier rounded the corner Luke unleashed. "I…I'm sorry. Oh my God I'm so sorry. I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am! I punched your friend in the face! I acted like a jealous teenager and embarrassed you, him, myself--"

"Stop." Noah reached for Luke and held on to his shoulders as he persisted.

"It's like I can't get a grip, Noah. One minute it's bliss and the next… it's like I'm holding on for dear life and the rope is slipping through my fingers. I thought he was trying to take you away from me again. I'm becoming paranoid Noah, seeing things that aren't even there."

"You're not paranoid, you're just Luke." Luke managed a weak laugh. "Okay, so punching my ex in the face wasn't the smartest thing you've done. It's not the worst thing either." Another laugh, this time with a small groan. "But I'm flattered all the same because you were fighting for me, you wanted to win me."

"You make it sound like you’re a carnival prize," Luke grumped.

"Not the point. The point is that you were willing to stand up for me, to not let me go without a fight."

"I guess I've just been so confused lately. With my mom," Luke paused a moment and hung his head, sniffing back sudden tears. When he met Noah's gaze again is eyes were wet and bright. "And you." Luke placed a hand gently along Noah's face, cupping his cheek in his palm. "You. You're here, I'm here. We're together and there's all this new stuff coming at me, your friends and this place." He swung his other arm around to gesture toward the city. "I don't know. I kinda feel… jealous? Or left out. You've been living this life that I have no place in. You're doing amazing things with amazing people and I guess I just feel overwhelmed. It's like being at a party where I don't know anyone. It never used to bother me, but… I'm not that kind of person anymore." Luke hung his head again, unable to look into Noah's caring face. "That part of me is dead."

Noah kissed the top of Luke's head, "Luke, I can't even begin to imagine what it's been like for you these past few years with your mom, Sante, Reid," he paused, his mouth twisting slightly sour when saying the doctor's name, "not to mention your own personal battles. The fact that you're standing here... I'm so in awe of your strength." He gently tilted Luke's chin up so he could look him in the eyes once again. "And I want to be here, with you, facing whatever life throws at us. And I'm sorry that I've basically been shoving my life in your face these past couple days." Luke shook his head, about to interrupt, but Noah stopped him. "No, no, don't worry. I totally get it."

"No, you don't. Your life, it's--"

"It went on, without you." They're both silent for a while as Noah's words hung in the air between them like a heavy fog. 

Noah leaned in and pressed their foreheads together, he spoke gently yet strong. "Luke, I didn't want this trip to be me flaunting my life or wanting to somehow wedge you into the middle of it all. But I can see how it could seem like that. I guess I'm just so excited to have you with me, because I so much want to do this, everything, anything, with you. Together." Noah leaned back again, face-to-face with Luke. "I want to help find that part of you that you think is dead and revive it. And I don't want to live my life anymore feeling like I'm missing out on some big secret. 'Cuz it's not a secret, I've just been missing you in my life." He smiled at the wet eyes matching his own.

Luke couldn't hold back the giggle he let loose. Noah played like he was appalled. "What? I lay my heart out on the line and you laugh?"

"I'm just remembering something, from a long time ago," Luke said wistfully.

"Let me guess, in a farmhouse far, far away?" They laughed.

"I was thinking about that card you gave me our first Christmas together. I can't believe the same person who couldn't utter a single word back then can't shut up now."

Noah gaped at him, his face amused as he feigned insult. "Thanks jerk! I take it all back."

"Don't you dare." Luke grabbed him and wrapped his arms as tight as he could around Noah's solid form. Noah replied in kind, burying his face into Luke's neck, his words no longer teasing. 

"Never. I'm never letting you go again," Noah whispered.

They stood like that in the alley, holding fast to each other for a long time. A few people walked by with curious looks on their faces, but they ultimately left them alone. Luke was the first one to speak after a while, his words muffled slightly by Noah's shirt.

"Can we get out of here?"

"Absolutely. Back to the Manor?"

Luke pulled back and wrinkled up his nose at Noah. "Can we not? Or," his face lit up, suddenly struck by inspiration, "let's go get our stuff. I have an idea."

A few minutes later they had their bags packed and in Noah's SUV. They were parked in front of the Manor as Noah sat behind the wheel, looking expectantly toward Luke. "Where to?"

"What's the best hotel downtown?"

Noah thought for a moment, "Uh, The Greektown?" 

"Ever been there?"

"Once, for a meeting."

Luke made a noise like a buzzer going off. "Nope! We need one you've never been to."

A smile spread across Noah's face, catching on to what Luke was trying to do. "Neutral ground, got it. Well, I've never been to The Grand. It's supposed to be really nice."

"Dingdingding! We have a winner!" Noah laughed at Luke's playfulness and started up the engine. 

The drive was short with the Manor closely situated to downtown and traffic not being a factor at that hour. They left the car with the valet and Luke threw down his Walsh Enterprises company credit card on the front desk, emphatically reassuring Noah that Lucinda would only be delighted if they maxed out the card. Knowing that to be true, they booked a suite and headed toward the elevator. As they rode up, Noah sent a quick message to both Javier and Brett letting them know that they were fine and that he'd see them later tomorrow, knowing especially that Javier would worry considering how he'd left the two of them. He switched off his phone, and gave Luke a wry look. "They'd worry if I didn't let them know we're okay."

"You have some really good friends," Luke offered.

Noah hung his head and smiled. "Yeah, I do."

The elevator dinged their arrival to one of the top floors. The room was easy to find and after a couple tries, the key card opened the door to a very spacious and stylishly furnished suite. Both of them dropped their bags and gravitated toward the windows that covered the curved, far wall of the room as the twinkling lights of the city diffused through the gauzy curtain. They pushed back the fabric and the city did its best to impress with its lights, the bridge, and a sliver of a moon all reflecting off the river in the distance.

"I always love looking at cities at night. It makes them look clean and magical," Luke said.

"Not gritty and full of crazies trying, allegedly, to steal your boyfriend?" 

Luke's face flushed both with embarrassment at Noah's teasing and the warmth of hearing him call himself Luke's boyfriend once again. "Yeah, well." Luke shrugged and gave Noah an apologetic look. Noah in turn shook his head and cupped the side of Luke's face in his hand and placing a soft, slow kiss on his lips. Luke inhaled sharply, reawakening all of those memories shuttered deep in his brain as Noah's familiar scent filled his nostrils. His own arms reached around, pulling Noah flush against him as he kissed back in earnest. It soon became desperate, all roaming hands and lips with shuddered breaths panted out between nips along jaws and long, straining neck tendons. Feeling Noah like this in his arms once again, hearing those breathy moans against his ear and hands holding him strong, Luke felt as if a switch had been flipped in his body. Fear, shame and anguish that had burned so long deep within him were snuffed and flooded with joy, desire and love. It felt like he could breathe easier, his skin tingled with intense sensations, as if he could feel every hair stand on end with electricity. Sounds were sharper and tastes were stronger and more nuanced. His body started to shake.

Noah pulled away, evidently feeling Luke's shudders. "Baby, are you okay?"

Luke's grin threatened to split his face in two. He felt dizzy and drunk. "Yes! I'm just so… happy. So blissfully, ridiculously happy."

Noah smiled sweetly. "Same here."

The bold and brash part of Luke must have also been reawakened because he decided to take a gutsy leap. "I know we're just getting back together, and all the advice columnists and TV shows or whatnot say that we shouldn't sleep together yet, but I have a few counter-arguments to offer."

"Go on." Noah slipped off his jacket and threw it blindly toward a nearby chair, which he missed. He toed off and kicked his shoes away haphazardly as well.

"One. We waited SO LONG to have sex the first time around, so I think it would perfectly fair if we borrowed from that time bank."

Noah nodded, looking like he was listening to a scholarly lecture as he slipped off his glasses and took a moment to place them somewhere safe. As he walked back to Luke, he pulled his shirt off over his head and dropped it to the floor. "Agreed. Two?"

Luke paused a moment, drinking in Noah's chest, his arms, those ridiculously narrow hips which gave his jeans very little to grab hold. He snapped his eyes up and met Noah's soft smile. "Right. If memory serves me, we're good. No, great. No, we're toe-curling, mind-erasing, angels wept-"

"Angels?"

"Quiet! I'm on a role. Where was I?"

"Weeping angels."

"Right! What I'm trying to say is that we're _phenomenal_ in bed, and why should we deny ourselves that? Don't we deserve to feel good? Self-harm is never a good path to follow, trust me on that."

Noah chuckled. "Done." He unfastened his jeans and they fell to the thick carpet with a muted thud. "Third?"

Luke's playfulness went away in a flash as he reached for Noah and closed the small distance between them. He slipped one hand onto the back of his neck and stared intently at his lips while his other hand landed firmly on the front of Noah's underwear, palming his growing erection through the thin fabric. "I've forgotten what you taste like, and that makes me want to stop breathing every second my lips aren't on your body."

Noah exhaled a loud groan and reached for Luke's lips with his own. They explored each other's mouths with tongues and teeth until Luke freed Noah from his underwear. Noah broke their kiss, his breath hot against Luke's neck as his hand started to travel the length of Noah's erection. The pace Luke set was slow while he reacquainted himself as his fingers traced every ridge and vein and his palm felt the heavy weight. The pads of his fingers drew tiny designs with the precome they found on the smooth skin at the tip of Noah's cock. Luke felt teeth gently bite his neck as he heard a deep groan of frustration escape Noah.

Luke brought Noah's hands up to his own shoulders before he went to his knees. He felt Noah sway a little but he held tight as Luke licked him from root to tip. The taste was intoxicating, like no other substance in the world to him. He quickly grabbed hold and swallowed as much of Noah as he could, letting his tongue flatten out as he slowly pulled back, tasting every last inch of him. The fingers at his shoulders dug in, fisting the shirt he still wore. 

"Oh God, Luke." It was more of a groan than actual words. He leaned in for another taste, this time fluttering his tongue back and forth which almost made Noah collapse forward. The hands at his shoulders now pulled him back up for a feverish kiss. Noah burrowed a hand deep into Luke's hair while the other pulled at his hips, pressing his jean-clad body against Noah's bare skin. Teeth started to nip, breath began to shudder and Luke's entire universe started to shrink to the size of a hotel room.

Luke's equilibrium was starting to fail so he maneuvered them to the bed where Noah flopped down as soon as the backs of his legs felt the edge of the mattress. He lifted Noah's feet one at a time to pull his socks off, pausing as he saw the small meandering inscription near Noah's instep and traced it lightly with his fingers. Before Noah could jerk his ticklish foot away, he leaned in and placed a soft, firm kiss on those words. "Say it for me."

"Las piedras rodando se encuentran," Noah purred.

"You're good at that." He kissed Noah's ankle.

"I can say other things."

"Like?" Luke slowly started to drag his lips and tongue up Noah's leg.

"Um… taco. Queso fresco. Burro. Ca-casa." He hissed as Luke bit the skin just above his knee. "Hey!"

"You know about as much Spanish as you do Italian," Luke laughed.

Noah laughed with him. "I'm multi-lingual."

Luke arched an eyebrow. "I think we can find a better use for your _linguistic_ skills."

"Absolutely." And with that Noah sat up and used his talented tongue to taste Luke's mouth again, reaching for the hem of Luke's shirt so he could strip it off. Luke scooted back and off the bed to shed the rest of his clothes. He stood beside the bed, his eyes sweeping over the body lying in front of him. It was so familiar; he knew every dimple, every childhood scar, and every place that made Noah's eyes roll back. It was also so foreign to him now. Different muscles, new scars, tattoos. But it was all still Noah, and it was all his. And the look on Noah's face, desire and want written there bold enough for the heavens to see, it fed the fire in Luke's chest even more.

Luke stepped away for a moment, making his way back to his bag by the door and rummaged around the pockets before returning to the bed. He deposited his cache on the nightstand and then climbed over to Noah, slowly lowering and pressing his body onto Noah's. He sighed as their bodies connected from legs to hips to stomachs to chests.

Their kisses grew frantic and needy as they moved against one another. They tasted each other's skin, marking each other with teeth and nails as they pushed and pulled at each other, fighting to give and take pleasure. Eight years of frustration were being exorcised from their bodies as they filled up their senses with each other once again.

Luke found himself lying on his back as Noah was pulling at his left nipple with his teeth, his hand carding through his chest hair. Luke hissed, the painful pleasure was almost too much. He felt like he was entering an altered state, where he hung in limbo of anguished desire. He just kept breathing, which was the only thing he felt like he could control right now, but then he felt Noah's fingers and he felt like he couldn't even do that anymore.

Noah's fingers, oh God, Noah's fingers were inside him. He hadn't even heard Noah open the lube. He arched his head back as Noah's long fingers caressed and prodded, stretching him open. They searched and found that spot that made Luke shout surrender as more lazy designs dripped from his weeping cock onto his belly. 

"Please… oh fuck, please, Noah."

"Jesus baby, you look amazing," Noah crooned.

Luke's hand scrambled to his side, searching and finding the small foil packet. He shakily shoved it into Noah's hand, incapable of helping him put it on. He watched as Noah withdrew his fingers, much to Luke's disappointment, and tore open the wrapper with his teeth. With not so steady hands himself, Noah managed to roll the condom down his length, pausing at the base with a squeeze and an aching look toward Luke.

"Lie back," Luke said.

Noah leaned back, stretching himself out as Luke maneuvered, straddling him with his knees pressed deeply into the bed on either side of Noah's torso while his calves hugged Noah's thighs.

Luke grabbed the lube from where it lay on the bed, squeezing a fair amount onto his fingers before he reached behind himself and wrapped his hand around Noah's cock. He gave Noah only a couple strokes, knowing full well that they were both now riding the knife's edge of desire. 

Rising, Luke lined up Noah's cock and slowly, deliciously, sank down. It had been a long time for Luke and he let loose a guttural groan, feeling the burn from being stretched. Noah's hands tightened at his hips, stilling him. Luke opened his eyes to see concern in Noah's eyes but just Luke leaned over and kissed it away as he sank lower and lower until the backs of his thighs sat on Noah's. He felt Noah clutch harder at his hips, exhaling forcefully as his fingers dug into the flesh of Luke's ass. They were still, reveling in the intimate feel of each other once again.

Noah then cradled Luke's face in his hands for a lingering kiss as they calmed their breaths and racing hearts. On an unspoken cue Luke tilted back and sat straight up. Noah slowly bent his knees out, digging his heels into the mattress as Luke lifted himself up slowly, keeping one hand where he could reach on Noah's stomach, the other joining Noah's on his own thigh. Luke flexed his legs rising higher and higher until just the tip of Noah remained in him. His thighs trembled with the strain until Noah hands dragged him back down in a strong, solid pull. They both gasped in delight from the sensation.

Luke looked down from where he sat on top of Noah and leered. "Let's make some magic, baby." To which Noah just smiled lustily.

Luke's pace was unhurried as they savored the pleasure in the each other's flesh. They moved languidly together like carnal liquid, drinking in each other in fluid waves. Luke's small gasps turned into whines and whimpers, spurning Noah's hands to grab on tighter to Luke's hips and urge him to quicken the pace. Luke was only happy to, letting the joy he felt bubble out of him in laughter. He felt unbridled and delirious.

Noah's legs dug in as his hands lifted Luke up slightly, tilting him so he fell forward just enough to brace himself against Noah's chest with both hands. He then held still as Noah thrust up into him, the new angle jolted the laugher from him. He cried out instead as the new sensation shorted out his ability to stay upright and fell onto Noah's chest.

"Oh fuck me," Luke groaned.

Noah chuckled into his hair. "That's what I'm trying to do." 

Keeping himself buried deep inside Luke, Noah surged up until they were both sitting. Luke crossed his ankles behind Noah, keeping his heels dug into the bed. Biceps and thighs flexed as Noah and Luke rose up and thrust in tandem. Soon they were both panting out breathy moans and Luke started to lose himself once again. He groaned loud into Noah's ear, hitting a point of no return.

"Fuck me. Please, please Noah…" 

And Noah did. He pushed Luke back on the bed, bringing his legs up to his arms and spreading him wide as he pushed forward, burying himself deeper and deeper into Luke with every powerful thrust. The sound of skin slapping against skin joined with the keening gasps and guttural shouts they made. Luke felt Noah reach for his cock. 

"Want you to come with me," Noah huffed out above him. Luke was bowed back, his arms reaching out and searching for anything to grab onto to keep him grounded as Noah took him higher and higher with every stroke of his hand and snap of his hips. 

When he came it was with a shout, drawn out and throaty which seemed to come from his toes as his eyes clamped tighter and the black behind his eyelids whited out. His body folded up, folded into Noah as he heard him howl as well, his momentum focused to a few shudders as he spilled himself into Luke.

Having been entirely spent, Noah gracelessly lowered himself onto Luke. His arms went slack which allowed Luke to slide his legs down into a more comfortable position since neither of them seemed to want to be separated quite yet. 

Endorphins coursed through Luke's body, giving him goose-bumps as he shivered with uncontrollable emotions. He felt hot tears squeeze from the corners of his eyes as he gave in. His fears and anguish in losing so much mixed with the ecstasy of having Noah, the love of his life, back in his arms. He felt Noah shift and slip out of him, feeling that sudden emptiness threaten to spread to his chest until strong arms held him tight. Wet sniffles soon joined Luke's own. 

Noah voice rasped dry and thick in his ear. "I love you Luke. I never stopped loving you."

"I love you too, Noah. Always."

They held each other a while longer. Soon their shivers of emotion turned into shivers from being cold. Noah sat up and pulled Luke with him out of bed. They made their way to the bathroom, pleasantly surprised to find a double-headed shower in the roomy stall. They took turns washing each other, baptizing themselves anew in hot water and hotel shampoo. They toweled off, somehow always touching, always keeping in contact with one another, neither of them wanting to lose that physical reminder that they were both there. 

With a wink, Luke took both of their towels and threw them on the floor and turning, pulled Noah out of the bathroom and back to bed. They settled between the satin smooth sheets, the room suddenly much colder to their skin than it had been previously. They let their hands roam while they shared occasional soft kisses and sighs, snuggling in to the bed and each other. 

"Don't wake me if this all turns out to be a dream," Noah hushed.

"If it's a dream, I promise to be here forever."

"And if it's not a dream?" Noah asked.

"I promise to be here forever."

~~~~~

Noah's ears told him he was in an unfamiliar place before his eyes could. The soft hum of a thermostat, the muted noises of traffic somewhere in the distance, and the quiet, almost inscrutable noise of someone's stomach grumbling close by were his clues. He grinned before he opened his eyes as memories of the previous night came flooding into his short-term memory bank. That, and the slight sting of tenderness behind his balls from when they woke up later in the night for round two brought reality into high-definition.

He blinked his eyes open and found himself looking into Luke's golden gaze.

"H'long you been up?" Noah half-mumbled into the pillow.

"Long enough to think about a few things."

"Uh-oh."

"Brat." Luke playfully shoved Noah's shoulder. "I also ordered breakfast from room service."

Noah hummed his approval, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and turning so his face was only a few inches from Luke's. "So what were you thinking about?"

Luke's hand spread across Noah's chest, fingers dragging patterns across his warm skin.

"I thought about how I wanted you to make fun of me watching reality shows. About arguing over which movie to go see and me sneaking onions into the pizza order." Noah's face scrunched up at the mention of onions. "I thought about getting you Gatorade and popsicles for when you're sick and signing our Christmas cards together. About you nagging me about my hair getting too long and bringing you to my AA meetings. I want to buy crunchy peanut butter and outrageously expensive coffee and have you be the first person I call when anything happens, good or bad. Every day I want to wake up and see your face, sheet-wrinkled and beautiful," Luke reached out to caress Noah's cheek, his voice now heavy with emotion. "I want that, I want this, for the rest of my life."

Noah captured Luke's hand in his and brought it between them, his lip curled up in a shy smile. "That sounds perfect." 

~~~~~  
 _Just over eight months later…_  
~~~~~

Luke's heart pounded as he propelled himself through the emergency room entrance. Amazingly, he was able to string enough words together at the nurse's station to find out where he needed to go.

_Down the hall, take a left, through the doors, on your right…_

As he ran, he pulled at his collar and wrenched the tie away from his neck as his skin prickled with sweat and adrenaline underneath his clothes. He slid around the corner, his dress shoes losing purchase on the polished hospital floor. He reached the door and fumbled with it, futilely pushing and pulling at the unmoving obstacle until he found the wall switch to activate it. His nerves frayed even more as the door slowly swung open toward him, swearing at the lack of urgency he thought was paramount in an emergency ward.

Looking to his right he jogged down the quiet hallway and passed alcove after alcove of beds, some empty, others occupied with exhausted looking patients and concerned loved ones at their side. He was almost at the end of the hallway, fretting that he'd heard the nurse's instructions wrong when he finally saw Noah.

Luke thought he would lose it right there, because nestled in Noah's strong arms was the tiniest bundle of pink. Sensing Luke was there, Noah looked up from the tiny face cradled in his elbow. The grin that greeted Luke could've rivaled the sun with its brilliance. 

"She's—Luke, I can't get over how perfect she looks." The look of wonder that danced in Noah's eyes threatened to bring tears to Luke's own. 

He slipped his arm around Noah and looked down at the tiny miracle in his arms and agreed, "Perfect." 

"Can I get some credit over here? I mean, she's my kid after all." A very weary looking Brett drowsily called out from the bed.

"Of course!" Luke went to Brett's side, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "You did good, mama."

"She sure did," Robbie said warmly, his large hands holding on to one of Brett's, "she was a rockstar." 

The room was quiet for a while, everyone taking turns holding little Elenor Kosta until she made her way back into Noah's willing embrace. The serenity of the moment was soon disturbed when two rather boisterous people rounded the corner.

"Happy birthday!" Javier shouted. The slim, bearded, redhead at his side in a matching tux shushed him, albeit through a fit of giggles. Javier put a finger to his lips and giggled as well. "Sorry!"

"Robbie, if either of their drunk asses tries to hold Elenor I want you to kick them in the nuts," Brett threatened.

"You got it babe."

Javier's hand automatically went to cover his crotch, while he displayed a look of indignation. "You wouldn't dare. We just left so we could start the honeymoon early," he gave Brett a lewd wink, "but everyone is still going strong back at the ballroom. I mean there's no reason for the party to end for everybody else, right? I mean, once they cleaned the dance floor, you know." Javier pulled a face expressing just how much the situation grossed him out.

Brett cooed at Javier from her bed, beckoning him over with her arms outstretched as if to hug him. But as soon as he got within a foot of her she started to swing haymakers at his head and shoulders. "You insensitive prick!"

"Hey! Watch it! I'm not the one who went into labor two weeks early during a wedding. And not just any wedding, my own you bitch!" He laughed as she continued to flail weakly at him. "You couldn't let me have my moment in the spotlight?"

"Ahem! _Our_ moment, you mean." Nathan pulled Javier from Brett's assault. "Right dear?"

Javier turned and kissed him squarely on the lips. "Of course, oh hubby of mine." 

Noah just rolled his eyes and looked to Brett. "Do you want her back?" he offered, nodding his head toward her little girl. Brett replied with a coy smile and reached out to receive her daughter once again. 

Robbie then spoke up, "Okay guys, I don't want to be rude…"

"But get the fuck out," Brett finished.

Javier and Nathan didn't put up a fight and composed themselves long enough to say their goodbyes and swiftly left the room as quickly as they arrived. 

Brett shook her head at them and deadpanned, "I should've gone into labor during the ceremony. That would've been hilarious."

"Well, this way you'll never forget their anniversary," Luke offered.

"Just promise me the two of you won't have your wedding while I'm pregnant. I really missed the open bar." Brett pouted.

Noah chuckled at his friend. "Deal." He reached for Luke's hand and squeezed it in his own. "I'm pretty sure you'll be in the clear." 

Luke brought their entwined hands up to his lips and pressed a tender kiss over the ring around Noah's finger. They stared at each other for a moment, sharing silent affirmations and declarations, before they said their goodbyes to the new family and made their way out the building.

"So…" Noah lilted. The cold, winter air made his voice hang visibly in the air.

"I've always loved springtime at the farm," said Luke matter-of-factly.

"Yeah?" Noah asked, hopeful.

"Yeah. I mean, aside from the cottonwood trees going crazy, I think a spring wedding would be perfect out there. Heck, the cottonwood might actually add to the decor, don't you think?"

Noah laughed. "I can't believe I'm going to marry the biggest dork I know."

Luke stopped and pulled Noah into a sharp, quick kiss. "Believe it, bubby!"

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to my roommate/beta reader [pollitt](http://archiveofourown.org/users/pollitt/pseuds/pollitt), my artist [tirpse](http://tirpse.livejournal.com/60892.html#cutid1), and to all of you who write, post, and do everything you can to keep this fandom's heartbeat alive—it's not fun to be a party of one.


End file.
